Conference device

Abstract

In a video teleconference device, a microphone and a speaker are arranged in a housing in such a manner that a voice input direction of the microphone and a voice output direction of the speaker are roughly orthogonal to each other. With that, the sound coming out of the speaker is not easily received as input by the microphone. Thus, with such a simple configuration, it becomes possible to effectively curb the echo effect and the howling effect.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A conference device comprising:
 a communication unit configured to transmit and receive sound data at least via a communication network; 
 a housing configured to accommodate the communication unit; 
 a microphone configured to input sound as the sound data to be transmitted by the communication unit; and 
 a speaker configured to output sound as the sound data received by the communication unit, wherein 
 the microphone and the speaker are placed in the housing so that a sound input direction of the microphone, when the microphone is operational, and a sound output direction of the speaker, when the speaker is operational, are substantially orthogonal to each other. 
 
     
     
       2. A conference device comprising:
 a communication unit configured to transmit and receive sound data at least via a communication network; 
 a housing configured to accommodate the communication unit, the housing having a substantially cubic shape; 
 a microphone configured to input sound as the sound data to be transmitted by the communication unit; and 
 a speaker configured to output sound as the sound data received by the communication unit, wherein 
 a sound inlet opening to inlet the sound which is input from the microphone, when the microphone is operational, is formed on a wall of the housing, a sound outlet opening to output the sound which is output from the speaker, when the speaker is operational, is formed on another wall of the housing, the wall and the another wall are adjacent to each other. 
 
     
     
       3. The conference device according to  claim 2 , wherein
 either one of the sound inlet opening and the sound outlet opening is formed on an upper wall of the housing, and the other one of the sound inlet opening and the sound outlet opening is formed on a side wall of the housing. 
 
     
     
       4. The conference device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 at least one of the microphone and the speaker is attached to the housing via a buffer. 
 
     
     
       5. The conference device according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a cooling system configured to cool a heating element in the housing, wherein 
 the cooling system is placed in the housing, 
 the cooling system includes 
 a heat dissipator configured to dissipate heat from the heating element to an outside of the housing, and 
 an air flow generating unit including a fan to generate an air flow which passes through an inside of the housing via the heat dissipator, and 
 the sound input direction of the microphone is out of a path of the air flow. 
 
     
     
       6. The conference device according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the microphone is spatially isolated from the speaker and the fan in the housing. 
 
     
     
       7. The conference device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the housing comprises a substantially flat plate-like body having a thickness in a vertical direction. 
 
     
     
       8. The conference device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a video camera, 
 wherein the microphone is embedded in a first surface of the housing, the speaker is embedded in a second surface of the housing, and an intersection point of the first surface of the housing and the second surface of the housing which is between the microphone and the speaker is a convex exterior surface of the housing, and the video camera is disposed separately from either of the first surface and the second surface when the video camera is operational.